Baling press



Jan. 13, 1942. s. B. MlNNlCH 2,269,596

BALING PRESS F iled Aug. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 6 a 6 0 I l E =L 1 If g Jan. 13, 1942. s, MlNNICH I 2,269,596

BALING PRESS Filed Aug. 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6101011 .B. M/rl'H/ch,

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Patented Jan. 13, 1942 BALING PRESS Simon B. Minnich, Landisville, Pa., assignor to Minnich Machine Works, Landisville, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application August 9, 1939, Serial No. 289,303

7 Claims.

This invention relates to baling presses and refers more particularly to such presses of that type having swingable or tilting platens which on the up-stroke of the platen swing or tilt out of the way to leave the upper end of the press unobstructed to receive a new charge of material.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a swinging carrier or tilting and returning centering means for the platen in combination with flexible means for pulling the platen in one direction duringv its compression stroke and flexible means for retracting it in the reverse direction on the return stroke in combination with guide means to guide said flexible means so that their respective initial pulls will be exerted at a distance from the fulcrum point of said platen carrier or tilting means and substantially concentrically with the axis of said fulcrum.

A further object is to provide a powerful pres-.

Figure 3, a side elevation of the press shown.

in Figure 1; and;

Figure 4, a diagrammatic detail view showing the relation of the drive motor and operating gearing.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, A designates the main base on which is erected the baler frame B, the baler body or box C, and the motor and operating gear frame N, and the lower platen U.

The upper platen D is formed with or provided with an upper strong raising and lowering beam E which may be of relatively thick heavy metal. Strong offset type compression stroke pull chains F have their lower ends anchored to the chain shaft or Windlass H and have their respective upper ends connected by a bolt or pin or other suitable means to plate F welded, bolted or otherwise suitably firmly connected to the lower parts of the respective end portions of the beam E at points outside of the baler box C and respectively adjacent the respective ends thereof. Retraction stroke cables G have their lower ends anchored to winding drums J, keyed or otherwise connected to the shaft I to turn therewith and have their upper ends respectively connected by means of clevises G or other suitable connecting means to the upper portions of the respective ends of the beam E preferably in line with the points of attachment of the respective chains F. Each cable G will be passed over a roller 6 mounted for rotation in its corresponding swinging arm member or lever and will pass about a similar roller mounted for rotation in the lower and outer corner or end portion of the said metal guide cooperating with said cable and said swinging or tilting member or carriage and from there will pass on and forwardly over a screw guide roller 0 mounted for rotation in or on the rear of the frame B.

From the guide roller 0 the cable G adjacent the power unit or gearing frame N passes directly to its corresponding winding drum J. The cable G at the far end of the frame B passes from the guide roller C in a bend or angular course between upper grooved roller P and lower grooved and guide roller Q on the end of the frame B and from said roller Q to the corresponding winding drum J. While the details as to the arrangement of the respective cables G are preferred as resulting in a more practical construction and one in which the pull is more definite and the risk of slippage is avoided, the actual details of construction and arrangement above mentioned are not essential and both cables G may be arranged and threaded up exactly alike if the frame B be made long enough and the related operating parts of the press be so arranged as to permit this to be done. Also of course while the particular arrangement as to the compression stroke chain and the retraction stroke cable is preferred, this construction is not essential to the satisfactory operation of the platen and the cooperating tilting means or levers and guide plates or means for the flexible pull means of platen operating means, and consequently a quite different flexible means for the compression stroke and theretraction stroke of the platen may be substituted for that shown.

The shaft or Windlass H and the shaft I are preferably mounted for rotation in bearings in the frame N at one end-portion of the main frame A and in a cross beam or frame member V at the other end of the frame member A and secured to the frame A by welding or any other convenient manner.

A guide plate I is rigidly mounted adjacent each end of the frame B beyond the respective ends of the platen D so as not to interfere with the movement thereof and preferably has its center well to the rear of the rear wall of the box C and each said guide plate 1 is preferably substantially semi-spherical in shape, having an upper face concentric or substantially concentric with the axis of pivot pin 5, which thus is the axis of the upper arcuate face of its corresponding plate 1, or the axis from which said curve is generated. Of course the two plates 1 will be in alignment endwise of the frame B.

A bifurcated substantially L-shaped lever l straddles each plate 1 and the pivot pin above mentioned passing through brackets 4 respectively welded or otherwise suitably secured to the rear top member of the frame B respectively adjacent to each side of each plate 7 and through the ends of levers l interposed between the respective brackets 4 and the opposed adjacent faces of the plates 1 serves to pivotally mount the rear end of each lever of swinging member I for swinging movement about the axis of the arcuate face of its corresponding plate l. Each lever I extends slightly beyond the center of the box C when in the position shown in Figure 2 so that its stop shoulder 2 will extend across the width of the platen beam E and so that its .guide and retention plate 3 will lie in front of and closely adjacent to said beam E while allowing sufficient room between the rear face of the plate 3 and the opposed face 2 of the lever l for the reception and retention of the beam E, whereby as the platen D is retracted upward out of the box by the retraction cables G, the respective end portions of the beam E will move upward into the recess or notch of each of the levers l as defined by the guide faces 2', the top shoulders w or stop shoulders 2 and the front face plates 3 until the upper edge of the beam E engages the shoulder 2 of each said notch of arms or levers l, whereupon continued pull upon the retracting cables G will transmit the pull to the upper and outer ends of the levers I and cause them to swing about their axis or fulcrum points 5 as the beam E is moved upward and rearward under the pull of the cables G, the arms of levers i serving to guide and carry the beam E in such movement and to swing it from a vertical to a horizontal position, as will be seen by a comparison of Figures 2 and 1. The guide faces 2' respectively of the levers I extend radially slightly beyond the outer faces of the rollers 9 mounted,

about or in the arcuate faces of the respective plates I and so keep the ends of the beam E out of contact with the said rollers 9 during the swinging movement or tilting movement of the platen D.

To avoid friction and to facilitate the operation of the cables G, a grooved pulley i5 is mounted for free rotation in the upper or free swinging end of each lever I and a similar grooved roller 8 is mounted for free rotation in the rear and plates I serve as roller bearings for said chains and cables, as will be obvious.

Preferably power operating means will be provided for the operation of this baler. Such power operating means may be an electric motor K re ceiving electrical energy or power from any suitable source (not shown) and driving a belt L extending about a belt or pulley wheel M keyed to a shaft to which is keyed or otherwise fixed to turn therewith a pinion H which drives the gear wheel l2 carrying a pinion I3, which drives a gear wheel [4 mounted on shaft T to turn therewith. A pinion 15 mounted on shaft T to turn therewith drives gear wheel l6 mounted on the Windlass shaft H to turn therewith. A pinion ll mounted on shaft H to turn therewith drives gear wheel l8 keyed to cable winding and unwinding shaft I on which are mounted to turn therewith cable winding and unwinding drums J. It will be seen therefore that the shafts H and I under all circumstances will move simultaneously and in opposite directions and also that as the cables G are wound up on the drums J to retract the platen D, the pull chains F will be unwound from the shaft H to permit the retraction of said platen D, and similarly as the chains F are wound up on the shaft H to pull the platen D down and compress the material between the platens D and U, the cables G will be unwound from the drums J to permit the downward movement of the platen D, the chains F and the cables G being maintained substantially taut throughout their various operations and reverse movement.

In view of the fact that the chains F being thicker will be wound up faster on the shaft H than would the cables G on a similar diameter similar speed shaft, it becomes necessary to compensate for this difference in order to keep the parts in proper relationship and therefore the gears l6, l1 and I8 and the diameter of the drums J are so related to each other as to maintain the chains F and cables G taut under all conditions of operation, or in other words to insure that exactly the same amount of endwise movement of the chains F in the retraction stroke or movement of the platen D will occur as will be required by the cables G to retract the platen D upward a given distance, and likewise that a given downward movement of the upper ends of the chains F will be compensated by a movement to exactly the same extent of the ends of the cables G attached to said beam E.

Preferably an electric make and break switch or mechanism R which may be of any usual known usual construction and operation and which will be electrically connected by suitable means (not shown) to the motor K will be provided and will be driven by any suitable means related to the gear mechanism, for instance by a chain or belt S driven by the shaft T so as to stop the operation of the drive mechanism as the platen D reaches its upper and lower limits of travel. This is a conventional and usual accessory or attachment quite usually employed in connection with such mechanism and for this reason is merely diagrammatically illustrated.

Preferably also the motor K will be provided with a spring pressed brake held in inoperative position during the actual operation or energizing of the motor by a magnet or other means energized by the same electricity which energizes the motor, so that as the make and break switch R cuts off the electricity to the motor K it will also cut off the electricity to the magnet and release the brake to be moved into operative braking action. under the influence of its spring. However, this too is quite usual procedure. in brake and related arts and for this reason it. is not illustrated. 1

I claim;

1. In a baling press having a main frame, a baling chamber formed with an open end, a platen beam, and. a platen rigidly connected to said beam and movable into and from said chamber and swingable to give unobstructed access to the open end of said chamber; the combination of a pair of guide plates respectively secured to said frame adjacent the respective ends thereof, each said plate having a substantially semicircular face distant from said frame; a pair of swinging carrying arms respectively straddling said respective plates and pivotally mounted at the axis of the arcuate faces of the respective plates for swinging movement relative thereto, each said arm being formed with a guide face extending closely parallel to the plane of the adjacent side of the platen beam during the movement of the latter in the baling chamber and its initial movement therefrom and being formed with an upper stop shoulder to be contacted by the upper edge of said beam as it is retracted from said chamber and a retaining plate extending from said shoulder substantially parallel to said guide face and spaced from the latter slightly in excess of the thickness of the corresponding end portion of said baler beam, said guide faces serving to support the beam out of contact with said guide plates and any parts mounted thereon; chains connected to the respective end portions of said beam at points in alignment with the arcuate faces of the respective plates to pull the same into the baler chamber, and cables connected to the respective end portions of said beam at points in alignment with the arcuate faces of the respective plates to pull the same out of said chamber and swing it and its carrying arm through an arc of substantially ninety degrees, and anti-friction rollers mounted in said arcuate face portions of the respective plates to prevent frictional drag of the flexible chains and cables thereon.

2. In a baling press having a main frame, a baling chamber formed with an open end, and a platen beam movable into and from said chamber and swingable to an angular position, the combination of a pair of guide plates respectively secured to said frame adjacent the respective ends thereof, each said plate having a substantially semi-circular face distant from said frame, a pair of swinging carrying arms respectively pivotally mounted at the axis of the arcuate faces of the respective plates for swinging movement relative thereto, each said arm being formed with a guide face extending closely parallel to the plane of the adjacent side of the platen beam during the movement of the latter in the baling chamber and its initial movement therefrom and being formed with an upper stop shoulder to be contacted by the upper edge of said beam as it is retracted from said chamber, said guide faces serving to support the beam out of contact with said guide plates; chains connected to the respective end portions of said beam at points in aligmnent with the arcuate faces of the respective Plates to pull the same into the baler chamber, and cables connected to the respective end portions of the beam at points in alignment with the arcuate faces of the respective plates to pull the. same out of said chamber and swing it and its carrying arms through an arc of substantially ninety degrees.

3. In a baling press having a main frame, a baling chamber formed with an open end, and a platen beam movable-into and from said chamber and swingable to an angular position; the combination of a pair of guide plates respectively secured to said frame adjacent the respective ends thereof, each said plate having a convex face distant. from said frame, a pair of swinging carrying arms respectively pivotally mounted at a point equidistant of the ends of the respective plates for swinging movement relative thereto, each said arm being formed with a supporting face and an upper stop shoulder to be contacted by the upper edge of said beam as it is retracted from saidchamber, said supporting faces serving to support the beam out of contact with said guide plates; flexible compression stroke means connected to the respective end portions of said beam at points in alignment with the arcuate faces of the respective plates to pull the same into the baler chamber, and flexible retraction stroke means connected to the respective end portions of said beam at points in alignment with the arcuate faces of the respective plates to Pull the same out of said chamber and swing it and its carrying arms through an arc.

4. In a baling press having a main frame, a baling chamber formed with an open end, and a platen beam movable into and from said chamher and swingable to an angle; the combination of a guide plate secured to said frame and having a convex face distant from said frame; a swinging carrying arm straddling said plate and pivotally mounted at a point equidistant of the ends of said plate for swinging movement relative thereto and formed with a support face and an upper stop shoulder; said support face serving to support the beam out of contact with said guide plate; flexible compression stroke means connected to said beam at a point in alignment with the convex face of said plate to pull the same into the baler chamber, and flexible retraction stroke means connected to said beam at a point in alignment with the convex face of the plate to pull the same out of said chamber and swing it and its carrying arm through an are.

5. A baling press comprising a main frame, a baling chamber formed with an open end, a platen beam, and a platen secured to said beam, in combination with compression stroke chains connected to the respective end portions of said beam, retraction stroke cables'connected to the respective end portions of said beam, power operated means for exerting a pull on the chains or cables and letting out the cables or chains at the same linear speed to maintain said chains and cables taut under all operative conditions, and swingable means mounted on said frame and receiving and engaging and supporting said beam and swinging the same through an are as the cables are pulled to their extrem retracting position, and means mounted on said frame for guiding said chains and cables in an are about the center of swinging movement of said swingable means.

6. In a baling press having a main frame, a baling chamber formed with an open end, and a platen beam movable into and from said chamber and swingable to an angle, the combination of a uide plate secured to said frame and having a convex face distant from said frame, a swinging carrying arm pivotally mounted on said plate at the center of curvature of the convex face thereof, said arm being formed with a supporting face and stop shoulders for engaging and supporting said beam out of contact with the guide plate, and flexible retraction stroke means con- A5 nected to said beam at a point in alignment with the convex face of the plate, said means being disposed for peripheral movement over the convex face of said plate.

'7. A baling press comprising a main frame, a {1 :0

baling chamber formed with an open end, and a platen movable into and from said chamber and swingable to an angle, in combination with a SIMON B. MINNICH. 

